Staying At JFK Airport: Days Inn Hotel

At JFK passport control, the staff to have a deadly serious demeanour until you're approved to enter the country. Then they wish you "a good stay to America" and sometimes have a friendly conversation.

The officer who served me asked how long I was staying at the Days Inn Hotel. I had put the address down on my immigration card.

"One night", I said and he was visibly relieved, relaxing his straight face. He warned: "Don't leave that hotel at night. Its not a safe place."

I took the Skytrain to Federal circle where hotel shuttle buses pick guests up. It's freezing cold and I'm exhausted. It felt like I was having the longest commute "home" from my office in Canary Wharf.

Drearily I look around and watch people on the train. Many were TSA staff chatting amongst themselves. People are different here. Mannerisms, ethnicities, accents. I feel like I've stepped into an American TV show. 

I got off the shuttle bus and walked into the Days Inn hotel. There were guests talking loudly outside and they were smoking. It smelt like pot.

I was given a room right in front of the stairs to the reception and you can hear everything through the door. But I was too tired to complain. It was a cheap hotel in an industrial area and I was checking out in 6 hours. All I wanted to do was shower and sleep.

The room had an old smell covered up with air freshener. Like was it used to be a smoking room and they tried to cover it up. I wrinkled my nose and noticed the decor is outdated, especially in the bathroom.

The heater wouldn't turn on. No matter, I thought. I wore extra clothes to bed and after feeling the cold come through the window. My back was stone cold under the covers. I made a fort of pillows to shield me from the draft. When that didn't work, I put my parka over my duvet.

I woke up a few times in the night, worried that I might have overslept. The alarm clock went off at 5.50am and I got up for breakfast. It was simple and I tried to make it as healthy as possible. A waffle (cook it yourself), banana, orange juice and coffee. I gathered my things and checked out for the shuttle bus to the airport at 6.30pm.

Overall my stay was not pleasant but it was cheap. If I was in transit for less than 12 hours I would stay here again because it's clean (aside from the smelly room but maybe it was just bad luck), and a free shuttle and breakfast is included. The hotel reception guy was friendly and even helped me print out my boarding pass for free.

Before getting on the shuttle bus to JFK, I took an eerie photo of the school bus depot outside. It was before sunrise. It was the only picture I wanted to take while staying at Days Inn.